CRKT Gives Popular Squid Folder a Steel Upgrade

CRKT has given their popular Squid EDC folder a significant steel upgrade. A new version of the knife recently appeared on CRKT’s site with D2 steel.

Lucas Burnley has shown that he’s a prolific designer with his BRNLY365 project. But even beyond that long-running series of designs (which Burnley finally finished earlier this year), he has contributed many designs to multiple companies. In terms of his CRKT output, the Squid stands out as one of the biggest successes. On paper it’s a simple, stout, small EDC knife. In reality, Burnley’s particular flair turned what could have been a fairly rote product into an immediately recognizable, immediately likable little knife.

All the previous Squid’s specs and elements – except one obviously – are the same on the D2 Squid. Its snubby drop point blade just clears 2 inches in length, and even though it is an all stainless steel build, it still keeps the weight underneath four ounces – not the lightest knife in its size class, but not an anchor either. A light blackwash has been applied over the entire knife; on the handles this should hide dings and scratches, while helping ward off corrosion on the blade itself. Most know by now, but D2, while it offers impressive cutting performance, is not a truly stainless steel, so a little help in that department will not go unappreciated.

This is the third steel that CRKT has played with in the Squid line. The original debut came out in the company’s default 8Cr13MoV. Later, several different special editions released with 12C27. This was a definite improvement over 8Cr, but still not quite as high performance as D2, which is the textbook definition of an “Oldie but Goodie.” In fact, D2 still appears in custom knives – including some made by Burnley himself.

Just as interesting as the knife itself is the fact that the Squid in D2 is the latest in an increasingly-large corral of budget-styled knives made from this steel. Steel Will has it implemented across multiple models, and Ontario made waves when it upgraded the RATs 1 and 2 from AUS-8 to D2. It also marks the latest release in a (relatively) experimental phase for CRKT. Although the changes have been incremental for the most part, we saw several of their 2019 releases prepped with 8Cr14MoV instead of 8Cr13, and the appearance of D2 on the Joe Caswell-designed Provoke.

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